Clematis Plant Named &#39;Evipo100&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new  Clematis  plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, light blue flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

Botanical classification:

Genus: Clematis.

Species: viticella.

Variety denomination: ‘Evipo100’

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematis plant which originated from a controlled crossing between the female seed parent, an un-named seedling, and the male pollen parent, an un-named seedling. Both parent varieties are non-patented.

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2000 and the resulting seeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment in Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named ‘Evipo100’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parent and male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The female seed parent has X tepals while the new variety has light blue tepals. The male seed parent has X tepals while the new variety has light blue tepals.

The objective of the hybridization of this clematis plant was to create a new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualities such as:

-   -   1. Uniform and abundant light blue flowers;     -   2. Vigorous and compact growth, making the variety suitable for         container culture; and     -   3. Improved disease resistance.     -   4. [additional distinguishing characteristics]

This combination of qualities was lacking in clematis plants that were in commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantially achieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo100’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in their clematis development program in the Channel Islands, United Kingdom in 2001. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo100’ by means of vegetative cuttings and traditional layering was first performed by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summer of 2001. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations have demonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo100’ are true to type and are transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustration shows as true as is reasonably possible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typical characteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo100’. Specifically illustrated in the drawing are open flower viewed from above, a branch showing attachment of flower buds and open flower, tepals detached, reproductive flower parts, and a compound leaf Plants shown are 2 years of age.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo100’, as observed in its growth throughout the flowering period in Marion County Oreg. Observed plants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in 2 liter containers. Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may vary under different environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, and climatic conditions. Color references are made using The Royal Horticultural Society (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except where common terms of color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the clematis variety ‘Evipo019’ described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,069 are compared to ‘Evipo100’ in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘Evipo100’ ‘Evipo019’ Flower diameter 90 mm 90 to 120 mm Tepal upper Violet Group 85A, Violet Group N88B surface upon with light intonation opening of Red-Purple Group 73B Tepal count 11 8

-   Flower and flower bud:     -   -   Blooming habit.—Recurrent. The natural flowering period is             generally from May to September.         -   Flower bud.—Size: Normally 30 mm in length. Bud diameter is             14 mm. Bud form: Elliptic. Bud color: At ¼ opening             Yellow-Green Group 147D. Texture: Highly pubescent.         -   Pedicel.—Surface Texture: Smooth. Length: On average 25 mm             in length with 3 mm diameter. Color: Yellow-Green Group             147D. Strength: Moderately strong.         -   Receptacle.—Surface Texture: Lightly pubescent. Shape: Broad             funnel. Size: 2 mm (h)×2 mm (w). Color: Yellow-Green Group             147D.         -   Flower arrangement.—Location on vine: New and old growth             only. Borne: 7 to 9 flowers per branch, borne along axillary             and terminal flower buds.         -   Flower bloom.—Size: On average, flowers are 90 mm in             diameter and 20 mm in depth. Profile: Open flowers are flat.             Fragrance: None. Lasting Quality: Flowers normally remain up             to 10 days on the plant.         -   Tepals.—Tepal Color: Upon opening, the upper surface is             Violet Group 85A, with light intonation of Red-Purple Group             73B. The lower surface is Violet Group 85B, with central bar             of White Group 155A. Quantity: Normally 11 tepals. Size: 42             mm in length by 27 mm wide. Shape: Individual tepal shape is             ovate. The tepal apex is acute. The tepal base is typically             acute. Apex Recurvature: None. Tepal Cross section: Reflexed             somewhat. Margins: Entire. Medium undulations of margin             observed. Persistence: Tepals drop off cleanly.         -   Reproductive organs.—Arrangement: Open. Pollen: None             observed. Anthers: Size: 5 mm in length. Color:             Greyed-Yellow Group 160C. Quantity: On average, 35.             Filaments: Color: White Group N155D. Length: 6 mm. Pistils:             Quantity: On average, 20. Stigmas: Level in location             relative to the length of the filaments and the height of             the anthers. Styles: Color: White Group 155A. Length: 11 mm. -   Plant:     -   -   Plant form.—Climbing and spreading.         -   Plant growth.—Moderately vigorous.         -   Size.—Seasons growth attains 100 cm in height. Average             spread is 50 cm.         -   Stems.—Color: Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 144A.             Mature stems are Yellow-Green Group and Greyed-Orange Group             166A. Internodes: On average, 35 mm between nodes. Length:             Normally 25 to 30 cm from the base of the plant to the             flowering portion of the stem. Diameter: Normally 4 mm.             Texture: Mature stems are generally ribbed.         -   Plant foliage.—Leaf characteristics: Deciduous. Arrangement:             Trifoliate Leaf Size: Compound leaves are normally 100 mm             (1)×90 mm (w). Leaflets are normally 45 mm (1)×23 mm (w).             Abundance: On average 2 leaves per 10 cm of stem. Leaf             Color: Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group N144A. Juvenile             lower Yellow-Green Group N144A. Mature upper Yellow-Green             Group 146A Mature lower Yellow-Green Group 146A Stipules:             Absent. Petioles: Size: Normally 50 mm in length by 2 mm             diameter. Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Orange Group 173A.             Petioloule: Size: Normally 20 mm in length by 2 mm diameter.             Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Orange Group 173A. Leaflet             Shape: Generally elliptic. The base is rounded. The apex is             acute. Margin: Entire. Surface: The upper side is smooth.             The lower side is smooth. Thickness: Average. Glossiness:             Moderately glossy.         -   Disease resistance.—Subject to any disease that normally             attacks the species. However the variety is more tolerant to             clematis wilt, Ascochyta clematidina, than some clematis             known to the inventors.         -   Cold hardiness.—The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness             Zone 6.         -   Heat tolerance.—The variety has been found to be suitable             for climate conditions found in the American Horticulture             Society heat zone 7. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of clematis plant named ‘Evipo100’, substantially as described and illustrated, due to its abundant light blue flowers with good keepability, attractive long lasting foliage and compact growth, year round flowering under glasshouse conditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttings in pots, durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable for distribution in the floral industry. 